All I Want is to Rock Your Soul
by anonymous Jewel
Summary: The monks are off on a well deserved vacation to the beaches of L.A., California...Can they survive without Dojo, Master Fung, and the mystical powers of the ShenGongWu?
1. The Beginning of a New Adventure

1All I Want is to Rock Your Soul

Summary: The monks are off on a well-deserved vacation to the beaches of LA, California...Can they survive without Dojo, Master Fung, and the mystical powers of the Shen-Gong-Wu? (Mainly Kimiko-centric, eventual RaixKimi-ness, building a relationship takes time!)The title comes from the song "Rock Your Soul" by (insert artist's name here), which I forgot...

Disclaimer: I don't own XS, neither the characters nor the show idea. Isn't it obvious?

Chapter 1-The Beginning of a New Adventure

At last...peace, silence, tranquility. Kimiko Tohomiko sighed contentedly, curling up her legs and resting her chin upon her knees, using them as a pedestal for her head. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as if giving herself a comforting hug, and gazed out at the beautiful beach sunset, in an blended array of gold and magenta. With a sharp intake of breath at the sheer beauty of it all, she smiled gleefully for the first time that day.

(Flashback)

And what a day it had been! Yesterday, when they discovered that they were being granted a month-long break from their Xiaolin monk duties, everyone was overjoyed, especially Kimiko. Then, when Master Fung informed them that they were going vacationing on the California coast, everyone exploded with one emotion... or another. Omi was jumping up and down, clapping his hands rapidly and squealing like a little kid in a candy shop. Clay, on the other hand, was much more reserved, he merely tipped his hat in a gesture of gratitude, a simple, broad smile upon his face. Kimiko was inquisitive about the expression on Raimundo's face; he wore that same cocky smirk that always adorned his face, and he had a faint, mischievous glimmer in his emerald eyes. However, she merely shrugged it off; hoping it had something to do with his intense love for surfing, and not the thought of blonde California girls in string bikinis. She, of course, had been overwhelmed with delight, her eyes sparkling even more brilliantly than sapphires as she clasped her hands together joyfully.

A vacation was exactly what she needed; a little girl time, a little beach time, a lot of shopping, and a chance to relax those sore muscles, hardened from rigorous training at the temple. _L.A. here I come,_ she thought. Unfortunately for her, the next day went from fabulous to worse; the heavens must have not been smiling down upon her. Since Dojo was also taking a well-deserved break...away from "baby-sitting" them...the Xiaolin dragons had to take a plane flight to CA. What a nightmare _that_ was! First, she had to drag four full, as in nearly bursting, suitcases and one huge, heavy carry-on throughout the airport as Omi desperately and confusedly tried to lead them to the right terminal gate. Raimundo, who was just ahead of her, and was only carrying one, surprisingly light suitcase, was complaining loudly to the person in front of him, who just so happened to be Clay, and asking furiously why the hell did they put Omi in charge. Clay then began painstakingly to explain to Omi what exactly the little numbers and letters on the boarding pass stood for.

Meanwhile, poor Kimiko was in a frantic, pitiful life and death struggle against the five suitcases that were becoming more and more difficult to bear with each passing step. Well, she wasn't exactly in a life and death struggle, but...it was all she could take. With a crash and a clatter of suitcases, she fell, buried underneath a mountain of luggage. Now, _that_ got their attention, all right. If her vision hadn't been obstructed by a suitcase, she would have seen the three guys spin around, startled by the loud noise, then gaping at the huge pile of suitcases that had seemingly replaced where Kimiko had been just a few seconds ago.

In a flash, as realization hit them, Raimundo, being the closest to the luggage disaster, raced over to her aid, Clay and Omi following in his footsteps. While all this was happening, she was just barely registering the fact of what had just happened. Right then all of her focus had been on the suitcase wheel that had collided painfully on the middle of her back. That was definitely going to leave a mark. Just as she was about to summon her warrior strength and burst free, she suddenly felt the luggage being effortlessly lifted away from her, the throbbing pain in her back slowly evaporated and faded away to a dull ache. The bright, florescent lighting of the airport terminal burst in and invaded the gloomy shadows where she lay, as though paralyzed.

"Kimi? You all right?"She peered hesitantly up into the blinding light, searching for the source of that soothing, rough voice. It was Raimundo, looking down at her wildly, eyes filled with concern...and something else she couldn't quite identify...was it friendship, brotherly kindred, or maybe even affection, perhaps? She had never seen that look from him as strongly as she felt it that moment. Either way, she was immensely grateful to see him, as she accepted the warm, caring hand he held out to her; she realized this moment how grateful she was to have friends, and partners, like Raimundo, Omi, and Clay.

"Yeah, I'm all right, mostly..." she finally replied, standing up with help from Raimundo's strength, and suddenly finding more interest in hurriedly brushing some dust off her apprentice robes. When she looked up again and observed the unsettled, strange looks on their faces, she exclaimed with a forced smile, "Oh, come _on_, guys! Don't worry about it, I'm fine! I'm a big, tough girl, remember? I tie my own laces and everything!"

This comment earned a chuckle and a smirk from Raimundo, a grin from Clay, and a formal, bowed apology from Omi about how since he was the most skilled Xiaolin Warrior he should've been watching out for her more carefully, as it was his responsibility, or something along those lines... A furious, fuming scowl unleashed itself upon Raimundo's face and Kimiko knew he would have lunged at Omi and pummeled him practically to death for that comment, if it wasn't for Clay, who was an arm's reach away and would have held him back in an instant. He always _did_ have a grudge against Omi saying he was the greatest and everything; after all, we all know that he was the last to become an apprentice.

Kimiko merely sighed, rolled her eyes in exasperation, and replied, "Don't worry, Omi! In fact, you _should_ be worrying more about if we're going to even make it to the plane on time! We only have five minutes until it leaves!" Immediately afterward, a feminine, cheerful voice resounded from a speaker overhead, "Last call for flight A221..." She watched, slightly amused, as Omi sprinted away, reaching out his hand toward the speaker on the ceiling and yelling "NOOOOOOOOOO! Dooooon't goooooooooo!" Raimundo and Clay promptly and wordlessly each grabbed one of Kimiko's suitcases to give her some help, and raced frantically after him, Raimundo yelling, "CRAP!" and Clay hollering,"Holy Smokes!" She then stifled her hysterical laughter at their reactions and quickly followed in their footsteps.

An hour later, four disgruntled monks could be seen sitting angrily in the terminal, occasionally sending silent glares at each other from across the row of seats. They had missed their flight and were now waiting frustratedly for the next plane for California to land. However, Kimiko wasn't quite as bothered by this fact as her three companions; she was sitting primly and daintily on the edge of her seat, sending an e-mail in Japanese to her best friend Keiko, on her PDA, of course. Omi appeared to be staring out of the large terminal window in dumbstruck awe, watching the planes as they took off towards an unknown destination and landed, whatever adventures they had encountered upon the arrival at their destination, unknown. By his countenance, it seemed to her that he thought they were some kind of new species of dragon, or other magical creature. Raimundo was the one doing most of the glaring, slumped over in his seat and wearing an impatient and annoyed expression on his face, his eyebrows furrowed in exasperation. Clay had been absentmindedly twiddling his thumbs for the last few minutes, and with a bored look, finally decided to break the silence.

"Boy, the tension in 'ere is so thick, you couldn' even cut it with a steak knife..." This earned another intense glare from Raimundo, and a delicately raised eyebrow of intriguement from Kimiko. Instead of sending a scathing reply towards Clay, Raimundo turned his attention towards Omi, who was still gazing out of the window, unfazed.

"This is all _your_ fault, Omi! If you hadn't led us in the wrong direction for a half hour, we wouldn't be stuck here listening to Clay's stupid Texan sayings! But _noooo_...you're the mighty, all-powerful Xiaolin Warrior!" At this point, Kimiko's frustration had peaked.

"Shut UP Raimundo! This is just as much your fault! _You're _the one who took forever getting through security because you were getting frisked!" Clay merely rolled his eyes, everyone knew what was coming next...

After her retort, Raimundo chose to spring up furiously from his seat and face Kimiko challengingly, his cheeks fuming red with anger. "_My _fault! It was the stupid metal detector, not me! And what about you? _You _had to take off your shoes after the second time it beeped!"

Omi's attention had finally been caught, and he raised up a finger in a attempt to douse the now flaming argument with some wise and consoling words, but to no avail. No sooner had he opened his mouth, when he was interrupted by Kimiko, who was as fiery red as the Brazilian, and had also stood up in a fighting stance.

"So what? At least _I _had enough sense to take off everything metal that I was wearing! AND _I _wasn't caught trying to smuggle the Golden Tiger Claws in my suitcase yesterday!"

"Ohhh, _you're _one to talk, girl! _Who _was the one who had the Eye of Dashi in _her_ suitcase! Huh! Not me!" he yelled back just as loudly.

She had just opened her mouth to scream a blazing, fiery reply to his challenge, when someone finally managed to interrupt their little tiff. "Uhhhh...sorry to break y'all up, but I think we got enough weird starin' from the luggage scene earlier..." Clay muttered nervously, slightly afraid of getting caught between a raging, smoking fire and a whirling tornado.

Her fire was promptly extinguished as quickly as it had arose, and she sat back down with crossed arms and a huff of indignance. _Baka Raimundo(1)..._she thought to herself. With absolutely perfect timing, the cheerful voice once again called out over a speaker, this time saying, "Flight A314 now boarding...seats 1-20."

As if an invisible, yet immensely heavy weight had been lifted off of them, the four friends cheerfully grabbed their carry-ons and headed toward the terminal boarding desk. After submitting their tickets, they entered into the tunnel leading from the terminal to the awaiting plane. This fascinated Omi to no end, who, of course, had never even been on an airplane before, and had seen a plane for the first time less than an hour ago.

"My friends!" he exclaimed in wonder, "We appear to be passing through some sort of mysterious portal!"

"Ooo, _yeah_ Omi, we're passing through the _mystic portal_, into a different dimension!" Raimundo commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Unfortunately, Omi was immune to sarcasm, at least most of the time.

"Really?" he queried. Raimundo growled, extremely annoyed, and slapped his hand to his forehead in response. Hearing this, Kimiko accidentally let an amused, mirthful giggle slip out from between her lips. But, when Raimundo noticed this and looked her way with a raised eyebrow and a cocky smirk playing on his lips, she responded with a heated glare, elbowing him sharply in the ribs.

"Oi!(2) There is _no way _in hell a girl like you should be able to hit so hard!" he whined miserably, clutching his side in pain.

"Just suck it up, Rai," she replied simply, with a sly smirk and a wink in his direction, deliberately sashaying in front of the boys and placing herself as the leader of their little group. Raimundo merely gawked at her in partly astonishment and partly surprise, his mouth agape, for once at a loss for words. Clay chuckled dryly beside him, as Omi furrowed his brows in confusion and touched his head thoughtfully.

"I do not understand. Suck up what?" Raimundo sighed heavily for what seemed the millionth time that day, and rolled his eyes up toward the heavens, "This is gonna be the longest plane trip _ever..."_

"I gotcha there, pardner." Clay confirmed, as they looked for the correct seat numbers on the plane.

Raimundo was totally right, for once. Kimiko had somehow gotten stuck sitting next to Omi for the entire flight; she usually adored the cute little monk, but sitting next to him for several hours in a confined seating area was just _too much. _Fortunately, since Omi currently had his face plastered up against the window and was staring out happily at the wispy clouds that were passing fleetingly by, she had a brief respite from his bombardment of questions and naive misuse of slang. She instead contented herself with IM-ing Raimundo, who was seated directly in front of her, blocked from her view by the plane chair, so that they couldn't have a proper conversation face-to-face.

Dragon of Fire: _Nanika atta, Rai-chan?(3)_

Dragon of Wind: _Nada, Voce?(4)_

Dragon of Fire: _Kotonashi,(5) that is, unless you count being annoyed by Omi, being bored, being tired, and did I mention being annoyed by Omi? I'm starting to wish we were back at the temple!_

Dragon of Wind: _At least you aren't stuck sitting next to the cowboy..._

With perfect timing, at exactly this point in their conversation, a deafening, rumbling snore rose from the immobile Clay, (who had been asleep since ten minutes after sitting down) as if to prove Raimundo's point.

Dragon of Wind:_ Veja?(6)_

Dragon of Fire:_ Un...Rai-chan, Zannen desu (7) about earlier..._

Dragon of Wind:_ Sim, de nada, (8) besides, I know you were just PMS-ing!_

Dragon of Fire:_ NANI!(9)_

Dragon of Wind:_ Is it 'that time of month' again, Kimiko?_

Dragon of Fire:_ If your seat wasn't separating us, I would soooooo kill you right now!_

Dragon of Wind:_ There you go again..._

Dragon of Fire:_ RAIMUNDO PEDROSA!_

Dragon of Wind:_ Bem, bem...Desculpe!(10) No need to get all 'fired' up!_

Dragon of Fire:_ Baka..._

Dragon of Wind:_ I may be an idiot, but I'm a cute idiot...am I right, Kimi?_

Dragon of Fire:_ Kawaii? Iie. Baka? Hai.(11)_

Dragon of Wind:_ You burn me real deep, Kimi..._

Dragon of Fire:_ You know, that nickname is starting to get really annoying..._

Dragon of Wind:_ Deveras?(12) You know you love it!_

Dragon of Fire:_ grrrrrr...Not r_

Dragon of Wind:_ Kimiko?_

Dragon of Fire:_ Greetings, Raimundo my friend! _

Dragon of Wind:_ Uhhhh...Omi? Is that you?_

Dragon of Fire:_ Yes! It is most definitely me! I am very...stoked...as you would say! This "plane" has tripped!_

Dragon of Wind:_ Omi, it's trippen'...At least you're getting better at slang...sort of._

Kimiko peered over Omi's shoulder curiously as he typed away earnestly on her PDA; somehow, throughout the course of their conversation, she had unwillingly surrendered her PDA to Omi's clutches. After a few moments, she gratefully stole it back, smiling at the playful banter between Omi and Raimundo during her absence.

Dragon of Fire: _Konnichiwa,(13) again._

Dragon of Wind:_ Is the little yellow monk gone?_

Dragon of Fire:_ Un..._

Kimiko paused for a moment and smiled warmly down at their responses on the glowing screen, thinking. During the past few weeks, Raimundo and she had decided to start speaking phrases of their native language when they were around each other, to teach each other their language; hers being Japanese, and his being Brazilian Portuguese. As a result, whenever they chatted, Japanese and Portuguese meshed together and became a different language altogether. She was abruptly awoken from her thoughts by another thundering snore from Clay, and clutched her forehead in annoyance. _I really hope we land soon so I can get off this plane, _she thought. Then, a message popped up on her PDA...

Dragon of Wind: _Oi! Do you have something I can stuff down the cowboy's throat to shut him up?_

She responded to his request by taking out a handkerchief, reaching over the seat, and dropping it abruptly on top of Raimundo's spiky brown hair.

Dragon of Fire:_ There...I wasn't really planning on getting it covered in Clay drool, but whatever works, I guess..._

Dragon of Wind:_ Obrigado, (14) You didn't have to mess up my perfect hair though! _

Kimiko rolled her eyes in exasperation and smiled quietly to herself as she heard Clay's deafening snores being muffled by her handkerchief.

Dragon of Fire:_ Perfect? You are sooooo vain! You're anything but perfect!_

Dragon of Wind:_ Mim?(15) What about you? You're not little-miss-perfect!_

Dragon of Fire:_ Actually, Rai-chan, you're mistaken. I just so happen to be perfect._

Dragon of Wind:_ Give me a break..._

Kimiko giggled harmoniously; it was so much fun teasing him and messing with his head sometimes, even though it was always _he _who did the most teasing. He always knew exactly how to annoy and aggravate her, which buttons to push; that was why they were almost constantly locked in a battle of wills. The flight attendant's professional voice resounded over a nearby speaker, "The captain has turned on the seatbelt alert sign; please fasten your seatbelts, secure your belongings, and prepare for landing. Thank you for flying with us, and have a great visit to the Golden State!_"_

"I do not understand. What does she mean, 'thank you for flying with us'? We have not been doing any of the flying! And what is a 'Golden State'? Omi queried to Kimiko, puzzled.

"The Golden State is California, Omi. Just fasten your seatbelt,we're finally landing!" she replied with an air of anticipation.

"Mmph...MMPH!" was heard coming from the direction of the row ahead of her; she correctly assumed that Clay had awoken, only to find a handkerchief stuffed inside his mouth. "Raimundo pardner! What was that there for!" Clay demanded after removing the offensive handkerchief, now covered in saliva. Raimundo merely chuckled wildly from the look that appeared on Clay's face when he returned from slumber.

"Oh, it was nothing, Clay, just that your snoring was creating some mild turbulence for the plane, and the captain came back here and asked us to keep you quiet." retorted Kimiko in Raimundo's place, with a snide smirk.

"Good one, Kimi! I couldn't have said it any better! I'm so proud of you!" Raimundo praised after he recovered from his hysterical laughing, and holding up his hand for a high-five.

"Un, un..." she responded with sarcasm, returning his high-five with a rather...forceful slap, and relishing with satisfaction his grumble of "Ow!" as he rubbed his sore hand.

"I'm sorry y'all. It's just that I felt like was rode hard and put up wet." Clay muttered apologetically.

"What? Why can't _anyone _speak normally! Could we get a translator here?" was Raimundo's confused response.

"I think he means that he was exhausted." Kimiko supplied with a shrug. Over time, she had become an expert at translating Omi and Clay's sayings.

"Gee, Kimiko, you're as handy as hip pockets on a hog!" Clay remarked.

"I'll just take that as a compliment..." she commented, uncertainly.

"Look, my friends! We are approaching our destination! The Golden State!" Omi interrupted. Kimiko scooted closer to the window in order to see what Omi saw; a city bustling and brimming with action and excitement, shimmering brightly and reflecting the dazzling sunlight. The unknown was waiting, just below her, on the horizon, just waiting for her to reach out and take hold of this new adventure that was ahead in her future. Awestruck, her sapphire eyes filled with the glorious sunlight, and a wonderful fluttery feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach as the plane descended, cascading through pillars of wispy, fluffy clouds and cutting sharply through a brilliantly blue sky.

(End of extremely long flashback)

Returning from her reverie of the past days' events, Kimiko sighed with contentment and closed her heavy-lidded eyes dreamily, the magenta and gold-hued sunset warmly embracing her beautiful features. _Could it possibly be any more perfect than this_, she pondered to herself, drifting slowly away from reality into blissful daydreams. Apparently, she had spoken too soon; mere seconds after this thought had crossed her mind, she was sprayed with a faceful of gritty sand. Kimiko looked up with an unspoken fury that would have terrified any mortal being to death, and her eyes, dancing with fuming, burning flames, met with the sight of a familiar tan, cocky Brazilian, clad in swimming trunks and grasping a newly waxed surfboard.

An infuriated scream was heard echoing across the California coast:"RAIMUNDO!"

A/N: I've added in snippets of Japanese and Portuguese just to spice things up a little bit. If I've messed up the languages at all, I'm sorry, it's probably just a typo or spelling mistake.

1)Baka: idiot

2) Oi: In this case, it means, Hey!

3) _Nanika atta, Rai-chan?_: What's up, Rai? -chan is an honorific that is used to refer to friends.

4)_Nada, Voce?_:Nothing, you?

5)_Kotonashi_: Nothing

6) _Veja?_:See?

7)_Zannen desu_: I'm sorry

8)_Sim, de nada_: Yeah, it's nothing.(as in, forget about it)

9)_NANI!_: WHAT!

10)_Bem, bem...Desculpe!_: OK, OK, I'm sorry!

11)_Kawaii? Iie. Baka? Hai._: Cute? No. Idiot? Yes.

12)_Deveras?_: Really?

13)_Konnichiwa_: Hello

14)_Obrigado_: Thank you

15)_Mim?_: Me?

Also, Un: Yeah

Well, that's the first chapter! Was it good or crap? Let me know! Oh, and if anyone is wondering, "What if there's a new Shen-gong-Wu revealed while they're on vacation?" there won't be, because...um...they used the Crystal Glasses to gaze into the future and see that the next Wu won't be revealed until they return. Heh heh...Luv ya! -Jewel


	2. Feels like Flying

1Bonjour! Ca va? ("Hello! How are you?") Welcome to chapter 2! I'm so surprised that I got this many reviews already! Without further ado, thanks so much to all the readers, even the "shadow readers"! Now, for the review responses (I'm not sure if we're still allowed to do this, but others are, so, what the heck):

**animeang317:**Thanx for being the 1st reviewer! I know, I can be obsessively descriptive in my writing, it's like a curse! I thought the latest chapter of your fic Always and Forever, Yours was hilarious too!

**Blue Brittney:** Merci beaucoup! Domo arigato!

**JuJu17:**_You_ are fantabulous! Thanx for the encouragement.

**Anonymous reviewer: **Thanx for liking this fic enough to review! You made my day!

**Dark Miroku:** Thanks for your helpful suggestion about the Japaguese translations. I wonder why I didn't think of that? Anyway, I'll try my best to remember that in the future!

**dArkliTe-sPirit: **LOL! Are you OK? I hope you didn't hit the floor too hard when you passed out! Thanks for making me laugh!

**Chaseforever: **Thanx for your review! Wow, you already know Japanese? That's so cool! If you haven't already guessed, speaking and writing in different languages is kind of my "thing." My goal is to become fluent (or at least competent) in as many languages as possible, then travel around the world! Paris, here I come!

Chapter 2: Feels Like Flying

A tired, disgruntled groan arose from the lump wrapped up inside a spacious bed, enveloped in a mountain of sheets, blankets, and pillows. Suddenly, the blankets were swiftly flung into the air, fluttering gently to rest upon the floor, and revealing Kimiko as the exhausted lump. Propping herself up from where she lay huddled, and rubbing her eyes blearily, she cast a glance over at her laptop, sitting comfortably atop a nearby night stand. The luminescent glinting screen showed her the exact time: 4:31 AM. This only caused her to grumble even more profusely, collapsing face first onto the cushiony luxuriousness of her pillow.

"Why did I have to wake up so damn early!" she groaned, her voice muffled by the fluffy pillow. This should have been no surprise to her, though; after many months at the Xiaolin temple, she had eventually trained herself to wake up at this exact time, since Master Fung had often required them to rise early and begin their training during the hours when most others were merely awakening. Kimiko had always been accustomed to waking up at least two hours before the guys, after all, she needed extra time to color and style her hair, take a shower, and perform other various beauty needs.

She reluctantly and groggily pried her face from the depths of the pillow, and practically rolled out of the bed, landing gracefully on the rock hard floor with a resounding thump. She grimaced and rubbed her shoulder, which was sore and bruised from wrestling with Raimundo yesterday after he had sprayed sand all over her.

(Flashback)

An infuriated scream was heard across the California coast:"RAIMUNDO!"

"Heh, heh, heh...Desculpe, Kimiko! I...must not have seen you there..." Raimundo chuckled momentarily, then averted his eyes upward in a gesture of innocence, a wry smile upon his face that completely ruined the effect. Kimiko arose to her feet with a deadly silence, as grains of sand cascaded from her hair and face in torrents. The atmosphere suddenly increased tenfold in humidity and temperature, silent fury and tension radiating throughout the air. Kimiko was glaring at him so fiercely and so intensely that it seemed like she was trying to bore holes through him with her eyes.

Finally she spoke, breaking the eternity of silence, "Don't play innocent with _me_, baka!" she spat with vehemence, her eyes becoming sheer pinpoints of blazing fury. Raimundo merely sweated from the fiery humidity in the atmosphere and locked gazes with her, unfazed by her glare.

"Bem, bem...I said I was sorry!" he replied apologetically, holding the palms of his hands out in front of him as if to shield himself from the heat of her fury, but still with a cocky, smug grin on his face. Kimiko wanted to wipe that grin right off his face; he would pay dearly for interrupting her relaxing moment of peace, and, most of all, for ruining her hair!

"Sore wa taihen desu ne!(1)"she thundered, promptly pouncing vigorously as if she was a wildcat and tackling Raimundo with a force equivalent to that of an NFL football player. His expression was frozen in a mixture of shock and amusement as she effectively pinned him down by his limbs onto the sand. She stared down at him with a wicked grin and a challenging gleam flashing in the depths of her crystal blue eyes.

"Qual!(2) If that's how you want to play, then bring it on!" he smirked with determination. Suddenly, with a nearly invisible movement from Raimundo, their positions were somehow reversed; this time she was being crushed underneath him, and gaping up at him in startled shock and silent fury. Mustering up her strength to evade his firm grasp, she...

"Kimiko! Raimundo! Take it apart!" Omi pleaded frustratedly, running towards them with his arms flailing in the air.

"It's break it up, Omi, not 'take it apart,'" Raimundo corrected immediately, rising quickly up to his feet and freeing Kimiko in the process. She begrudgingly accepted Raimundo's proffered hand to help her up, now coated with more sand than she ever was before. Her seething expression spoke for itself; you could almost see the flames of anger and irritation radiating from her in shimmering waves.

"Woo-wee!" a familiar Texan-accented holler floated through the air from behind them,"Who stuck the burr under _your_ saddle, Kimiko? And why're ya covered in sand?"

"I'm taking a shower," she muttered grumpily, stomping moodily off towards a picturesque beach house that had been rented specially for their vacation.

"Was it somethin' I said?" Clay puzzled, rubbing his forehead in confusion.

(End of flashback)

Kimiko lethargically stumbled towards the bathroom, somehow making it into the shower just in time before she was tempted to nestle back inside those warm, cozy, comfortable blankets and drift away again to dreamland. She groped confusedly at the shower knobs, and gave a startled shriek as a burst of freezing cold water suddenly spurted forth from the shower head and over her face without warning. _At least this will wake me up, _she thought to herself.

Approximately an hour later, she was adjusting the finishing touches on her hair, which was, as of now, dyed a pretty golden blonde, flowing around her in smooth, elegant waves, framing her heart-shaped face, and cascading down from her shoulders to her slender waist. Rebellious golden tendrils broke free from the blonde waves of her hair and rested tranquilly against the side of her face, curving gently against her porcelain cheek. Satisfied with the results, she gave her reflection a radiant, dazzling smile and headed silently past Clay, Omi, and Raimundo's rooms towards the front door. She giggled quietly to herself as she creaked the front door open; she could hear Clay's rumbling snores echoing throughout the room. Then she emerged out into the wondrous beach sunrise...

A few minutes had passed during which Kimiko had contented herself with merely wandering aimlessly down the beach, tuning out all other thoughts and distractions; it felt nice to not be fighting over Shen-Gong-Wu in showdowns, saving the world from certain destruction, or kicking evil's ass for another day. She felt strangely compelled to pause at a particularly gorgeous stretch of the beach cove, tracing her toes languidly through the clear, crystalline waves as they stroked against her ankles tenderly and soothingly, sending sharp tingling sensations up her legs. Her golden hair danced wildly with the wind, caressing her cheek with a light, soft touch, and flying back behind her like a flowing cape as she hugged her arms around herself even tighter. She sighed contentedly; this was nirvana, heaven, ecstasy... it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. She stared out at the ocean waves, foaming and crashing poetically, telling an ancient tale of love and loss through their frothing, sweeping movements.

In the far off distance, she suddenly spotted an unusually gigantic wave gliding steadily towards the shore. This wasn't what intrigued her, however; she was more surprised by the sight of a masculine figure surfing atop the very peak of the wave, with his strong, tanned arms stretched out as far as humanly possible, giving him the appearance of flying majestically astride the gigantic wave. As the figure flew closer, she recognized him immediately without a doubt; it was Raimundo, using his wind element to forcefully guide the waves along their path and propel himself rapidly forward. Finally, the wave's power and the wind's energy slowly dwindled, and she was left practically face to face with a tan, buff, shirtless, dripping wet Dragon of the Wind, as he returned back down to earth, making a smooth landing.

_OMG... _she thought, _Raimundo is so...so...hot! I wonder why I didn't notice that before? _Suddenly realizing the thoughts that were coursing through her mind, she inwardly scolded herself, _Warui, (3) Kimiko, Warui!_ Apparently, he didn't recognize her at first; maybe it was because of his sodden chocolate colored locks that were clinging to his forehead, seeping saltwater, and obstructing his vision, or maybe it was because she had changed her hair color from raven black to blonde. Either way, momentarily after coming to land merely a few feet away from her, he swiped his soaked bangs away from his forehead, and emerald eyes met sapphire.

"Kimiko? Is that you?" he uttered, staring at her with mild confusion mixed with slight shock and awe.

"Ohayo gozaimasu,(4) to you too, Rai," she retorted sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest, and quirking a slender, elegant eyebrow in curiosity. Raimundo was giving her an indescribable look that she had never seen from him before, and couldn't quite figure out. He had a far off, misty look in his forest green eyes, caused from some unknown inner turmoil or conflicting emotion that was stirring in the depths of his soul. Those eyes...they poured into her, transfixing her from where she stood frozen, as if trapped in a solid block of ice that was impossible to melt; it felt like he was searching the deepest, darkest chasms of her heart and soul with those eyes, like he already knew all her deepest and most yearned for desires, her hopes and her dreams, it felt like...

His whisper interrupted her thoughts, jerking her back to reality and breaking their eyes' connection. "Your hair..." she heard him voice softly aloud, so that she could barely perceive what he was saying, she was too wrapped up in her own tangled web of thoughts. She simply looked back up at him with a curious, questioning look upon her face.

"You changed it, again...It looks...belissima."(5) he answered with confidence. Kimiko understood, and shifted her gaze slowly, so that the brilliant beams of the morning sunrise reflected in bright, glittering streaks of sunlight across her rosy cheeks.

"Domo arigato..."(6) she replied, with a smile rivaling even the brilliance of the sunrise. In the moments that followed, she could sense even without casting a quick glance over her shoulder, that he had also shifted to be beside her and join in gazing out at the sunrise; it was almost like she could feel his presence, his aura...She supposed it was because Raimundo, Omi, Clay and she were all bound firmly together as the elements of wind, water, earth, and fire. Occasionally, she could sense the auras of the other three elements, as if they had some unspoken, invisible connection which each other, that could never be broken.

As she drifted away from her pondering, she felt compelled for some reason to say, "Rai? How long have you been surfing?"

He started, as if he had been deeply entangled in his own thoughts, and launched off his answer with apparent enthusiasm. "Practically my whole life. I remember I used to go to the beach _all the time_ when I was a little kid. There was a beach down by my old house in Rio called the Crystal Cove that I always surfed at. And when I wasn't at the beach, I was always dreaming about being there..."

At this point, Kimiko chanced a glance over at him; his emerald eyes were sparkling, glistening in the sunlight, deep with memory, thoughtfulness, and some other emotion she couldn't quite grasp...was it fondness, perhaps hope? His eyes misted over again with that far off look, as if he was imagining himself being somewhere else entirely. He whispered, "I love surfing...it feels like flying..."

_Feels like flying..._she pondered silently, then averted her gaze towards the limitless painting of cloudless, perfect azure and dazzling gold, the never-ending expanse of the heavens.

"Have you ever wanted to fly, Kimiko?" voiced Raimundo, his eyes soaking in the same spectacular array of sights as she was.

"Hai." she spoke simply; no further answer was needed, they were both in perfect understanding, perfect synchronisation.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" he urged her with enthusiasm, suddenly stepping in front of her and gently holding out the palm of his hand.

Now _this _surprised her. "Nani?" she exclaimed gently, almost quietly. Was he really doing what he appeared to be doing? What happened to the cocky, boisterous, sarcastic, smart-ass Raimundo, who literally threw caution to the wind, and was the worst prankster she had ever known? Was this his "other personality," the other side of Raimundo behind that outwardly bold, fearless, and extroverted front, hidden from the rest of the world by invisible walls that he fortified around himself? She couldn't care less at that moment; she liked this "new" Raimundo, whoever he was.

"Come on, Kimi," he reassured her, with that daring, cocky trademark smile of his, beams of sunlight radiating from behind him, framing his handsome face, as if his hair was crowned by a holy angel's halo. How could she possibly resist _that_? Not like she was planning to, anyway... She gave a dazzling, glowing smile and immediately placed her delicate, fragile-looking palm over his own strong, warm, welcoming one. He curled his fingers firmly around hers, enveloping and grasping her hand steadfastly, as if she was his only lifeline, and shouted, "WIND!" with unwavering determination.

Faster than in the blink of an eye, he had summoned a surprisingly powerful breeze, and they were both suddenly, unmistakably airborne, levitating in the air and floating gently upon a softly whirling wind current. Kimiko unexpectedly realized that she was clinging desperately to his hand, but didn't release her unwavering grip; somehow, for some unknown reason, it just felt right, she felt secure in his grasp... He didn't seem to mind however, he merely flashed her an adventurous smile as they momentarily plunged upward into the sky, soaring over the azure ocean in its unfaltering and unpredictable rhythm of rushing, crashing waves.

As they surged higher upward among the wispy, fluffy clouds, she felt literally as light as air as Raimundo effortlessly held her afloat upon a breeze. She stretched her arms as far out as possible as they flew, feeling the wind's passionate embrace as it stroked tenderly against her cheeks and whipped powerfully through her golden tresses, which lashed out behind her from the forceful velocity of the wind. Within those precious, fleeting moments, Kimiko memorized every feeling, every emotion and sensation, binding the moment in her mind forever, for eternity. She savored every minuscule detail; from Raimundo and her hand's conjoined as one, to a sensation similar to that of electricity sparking and surging through her veins, to the delicate brushing of the breeze against her fingertips that caused her heartbeat to race wildly, pounding rapidly in her chest. Kimiko absorbed the perfect sunrise that enveloped them with her sapphire eyes, flooding with pools of light, reflecting the magnificent ambience of the sky.

There were no words worthy enough or even sufficient to describe the feelings coursing through her heart and soul; nothing could ever compare to it. She finally felt really, truly free, like she was a phoenix released from its torturous cage after an endless eternity of imprisonment, like she had unleashed her genuine soul and allowed her heart and mind to hope, dream, imagine, wonder...the possibilities seemed absolutely limitless. She felt that she could achieve anything she desired, she could dare to dream, to hope; she felt that her heart would burst from mirthful joy. She wanted to laugh out loud, to dance wildly and uninhibited, to sing for the whole world to hear; the feeling of flight, being suspended softly in midair was so intoxicating, so empowering...Kimiko was rendered breathless as they rose even further upward, becoming one with the golden sunlight, distant silhouettes against the brilliant sunrise.

A/N Wow. That was sappier than a maple tree! My imagination went a little wild on this chapter. Oh well, what's done is done...Anyway, pardon-moi for taking soooo long to update. I have several good reasons why it took forever, but I won't burden you all with excuses. Chapter 3 is going to be better, hopefully...this chapter wasn't really the best I can do...at least I think so. OK, I'll stop blabbering now...I could ramble on and on forever and ever and ever...

Translations

1)Sore wa taihen desu ne! Too bad!

2)Qual! What!

3)_Warui, Kimiko, Warui!_ Bad, Kimiko, bad!

4)Ohayo gozaimasu Good morning

5)belissima beautiful

6)Domo arigato thank you very much

Au revoir! A bientot! (Goodbye! See you soon!)


	3. The Green Eyed Monster

Chapter 3: The Green-Eyed Monster Rears Its Ugly Head

The ever constant ebb and flow of ocean waves, sang-froid against her fingertips, the gentle yet powerful blustering of breezy wind, dramatically whipping through her blonde tresses and caressing her arms, the glancing reflection of morning sunlight against locks of golden blonde and brown, a confident, assuring pressure against her hand that suddenly faded, leaving behind only sparking and trembling nerve endings as evidence it ever existed. These images flashed constantly through her mind, sending her thoughts into a turmoil of light, color, sound, and feeling. After a few dazed, awestruck moments, she realized she was once again earthbound, no longer basking in that glorious feeling of floating upon the wind. She found it unusual that she hadn't even felt herself smoothly landing, she hadn't even noticed when her feet had softly brushed against grains of sand and firmly planted themselves against the earth's surface. She dreamily turned to face Raimundo, who was observing her spellbound reaction with the slightest grin.

"Rai...if I ever ask, will you take me flying again?" she voiced softly, her sparkling azure eyes misting over and glimmering with sunlight.

"Anytime."

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! The blaring bellowing of an alarm clock suddenly and rudely burst its way into Kimiko's blissful dreams, or rather, fantasies.

"Just five more minutes, otokooya..."she muttered, groaning groggily and pulling the fluffy blankets even tighter around herself. Clutching her cushy pillow with a death grip, she tossed and turned her way in the opposite direction, attempting to escape the ear-shattering, annoying repetition of the alarm. However, she miscalculated the exact width of the bed, and crashed with a noisy bang to the floor, blankets and all.

"Chikushou! Not _again_!" she grumbled frustratedly, rubbing her sore backside and uttering various Japanese curses under her breath. Kimiko was definitely _not _a cheerful morning riser; at least not on vacation, that is.

Forty-five minutes or so later, she was vigorously sudsing up her hair while steamy, intensely hot water rained down on her from above. She sighed, breathing in the hypnotizing, feminine fragrance of her pomegranate passion shampoo. She smiled to herself contentedly...and a booming knock pounded against the bathroom door.

"Oi! Kimikoooo! Pressa, girl! We've been waiting for you _forever!_" the lovely, shouting voice of Raimundo resounded from outside the now vibrating door.

"You call a half hour shower _forever_? Dame desu!" she growled spitefully. What was with him _always_ interrupting her scarce, fleeting moments of peace, which were way too few and far between?

"To a guy,_ hell yeah!_" his indignant shout was heard once again from outside the door,_ "_You better hurry it up, or I'm sending myself a special invitation inside."

"_Ii yo, Ii yo_!" she pleaded desperately, then, after a second thought, retorted threateningly, "And don't you _even_ _dare _come in here!"

"I knew that would get you to hurry up," she heard his smug voice reply with the slightest hint of a chuckle. She merely grumbled under her breath as she turned off the shower, and hesitantly emerged from amidst the arising steam that created a hazy veil throughout the bathroom, clinging in water droplets against her newly-shimmering skin. After quickly grazing a dry towel against herself, she promptly wrapped another fresh towel around her still damp body, and turned her attention towards the mirror, which was foggy with water vapor and enveloped with steam. Kimiko gave a firm swipe with her palm at the mirror's surface, and gazed silently at her reflection, now revealed through the mist. A pretty Japanese girl with sky blue eyes, rosy cheeks, porcelain skin, and sodden wet golden blonde hair stared unwaveringly back at her. The girl in the mirror sighed, her eyes shimmering as if unshed tears lingered in the sapphire depths. Kimiko averted her eyes from the illusion of the mirror; sometimes she felt as if she didn't know who the girl in the mirror really was anymore...

_It reminds me of that song, _she thought to herself, _the song I used to sing to myself whenever I was lonely...Who is that girl I see? Staring straight back at me...Why is my reflection someone I don't know? When will my reflection show who I am inside? _Enrapturing music echoed mournfully throughout her mind; overwhelming, lingering, sorrowfully sweet, and pungent at the same time. Kimiko promptly and violently shook her head, as if trying to erase her tortured thoughts, and escape from the trance that had encaptured her mind. As she grasped the nearby hair-dryer and turned it on, she heard a cautious creak of the door, revealing a inquisitive Raimundo in the mirror's reflection.

"Nada!" he panted, fanning his hand desperately in front of his face and sweating in the steamy atmosphere, "What are you trying to do? _Sweat _yourself clean?"

Kimiko glanced at him slyly from the corner of her eye and retorted sarcastically, "You _do _remember that I'm the Dragon of _Fire_, don't you?" She then returned to suavely performing her early morning ritual. He merely shifted to claim a place beside her at the mirror, completely and utterly unfazed by the fact that she was covered in absolutely nothing save for a damp with steam, body-clinging, and slightly skimpy towel. Or at least, he seemed unfazed to the observant eye; his countenance revealed nothing, no matter whatever thoughts and emotions were coursing through him at the moment.

"Stupid girly habits." he grumbled moodily, while reaching for his hair gel among the various counter-top toiletries.

She heard and saw this, and immediately the flame of her hotheaded temper once again sparked to the surface, as if it had never been quelled just a moment before. Kimiko growled back a scornful reply in a similar tone of voice, "Male chauvinist pig."

"QUE! Take it back!" he challenged, swiveling towards her with a deadly glare, his hands clenched into fists.

"_You _take it back, baka!" she shouted, matching his indignant glare with one of her one, of equal might and fervor.

"Are y'all fightin' _again?_" Clay interrupted, heaving an exasperated sigh as he paused by the open doorway. "You two keep goin' at it worse than cats and dogs, I swear. Pretty soon I'll be a fixin' ta knock ya both right upside the head..." he rambled on, his Texan accent fading in the distance and reverberating against the hallway as he proceeded on his way. Kimiko and Raimundo merely glanced at each other hastily, shrugged innocently, and continued their previous courses of action before the beginning of their heated argument, yet another of their frequent, but fleeting tiffs.

Meanwhile, Omi, who was enveloped in exercising his sense of balance by perching precariously on an edge of the beach house porch, had overhead every word of his friends' conversation, despite being quite a far distance away. He addressed the sullen cowboy, "Clay, my friend, I am _most_ disappointed. I thought the main purpose of this 'vacation' was to _escape _from the anger and the fighting..."

"Never mind them, Omi," Clay explained bluntly, unconsciously running his fingertips against the rough edges of his signature cowboy hat, "That's just their way of flirtin'."

Omi couldn't have been more confused; his priceless expression was the epitome of misunderstanding. "What is this "flirtin'" of which you speak?" he uttered.

Clay simply smiled at the little yellow monk; he was far too used to Omi's confusion by now. "I'll tell ya someday, lil pardner, that is if ya don't figure it out by your ownself first."

Kimiko was furious, she was absolutely, positively furious, and for the exact same reason as usual: Raimundo. At the moment, the flirtatious Brazilian was suavely chatting up an extremely attractive, but ditsy-looking blonde in a skimpy string bikini, which Kimiko believed looked more like a revealing stripper's uniform than a bikini. Flaring with anger and some other emotion that, until now, had been unknown to her, she intricately examined every aspect of the so-called slutty girl; perfect, shiny beach blonde hair as if from a shampoo commercial, deep, glowing amber eyes, voluptuous body with sensual curves...a low growl rose, rumbling from within the depths of her throat..._Ok, so she's sort of sexy and attractive...so what, _the thought crossed her mind. She fumed silently, trembling with sheer rage, as she watched Raimundo cock an eyebrow, smooth a hand through his spiky chocolate locks, and smirk seductively... she clenched her fists forcefully, her posture noticeably stiffened, and brightly burning sparks of flame began to erupt simultaneously like fireworks from her tightly gripped fists.

Clay, passing by, raised a curious eyebrow questioningly, "Whoa doggy, looks like the green-eyed monster has finally reared its ugly head." "_What_ did you say?" she sneered in reply, frightening malice eminent in her tone.

"Neva mind..." the cowboy sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head as he tromped off, then ducking hastily and shielding himself from the fiery sparks rapidly bursting, emitting angrily from Kimiko's clenched fists.

_I'll show him..._was the only thought coursing through her mind, her eyes momentarily gleaming a vengeful, blazing crimson. A transfixing sight against the morning horizon promptly caught her eye; in the far-off distance, a muscular, blonde surfer approached from within the safe haven of the crashing, foaming waves and bounded with vigorous, powerful strides towards the sandy shoreline. Kimiko's mystified eyes widened considerably, glittering starrily as he slowly advanced towards her, his golden locks dripping almost sexily with seawater, and droplets sliding swiftly across his tanned mystique. A dreamy, wistful smile slowly spread across her bedazzled face.

_Aa Un, I'll show him, alright..._

Translations: I would put them underneath the words themselves, but it kind of disrupts the paragraph structure...

otokooya: father

Chikushou: Damn!

Pressa: Hurry!

Dame desu: no way

_Ii yo, Ii yo_: Okay, Okay!

Nada: Damn! (Yes, believe it or not, nada really does mean that in Portuguese)

_Que: _What!

_Aa Un: Oh yeah..._

_A/N: _So, what do you think? And, yes, the 2nd chapter was all a dream sequence, sorry if I disappointed you...but it'll become more significant later on. This chapter was originally going to be 3 times as long as it is right now, but since it was taking me sooooo incredibly long to update, I decided to split it up so I could update quicker! Aren't you just overwhelmed with joy? Heh heh...anyway, please forgive me for taking so long, I'm just completely stressed out with life in general. But, don't worry, this fic will become better as time goes on...You won't believe what I have in store for this one...

Don't worry reviewers, I didn't forget you! (Sob)I love you guys! You're the best! (Bawls and suffocates the reviewers in a virtual hug)

**Veritas.Aequetas.Redemptio. **I absolutely love your name! I think I know what it means, just by first glance, but I'm not sure...Anyway, I know exactly what you mean. The romance that's idealized by society is _so_ unrealistic...people _don't _just fall in love at first sight. If someone reading this actually has fallen in love, I mean _authentic _love, at first sight, then I take it back. In my case, I practically cringe when I think about the totally unromantic way that I met the guys that I _thought_ I was in love with. But then again, people can dare to dream, can't they? I hope this chapter was worthy enough for your wonderful review! Oh, and merci beaucoup for the compliments _along_ with the helpful criticism; after all, no one ever learns anything from people telling them how great they are...

**JuJu17:** Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! (phew)

**Chaseforever: **Sumimasen for the overdue update. You better keep updating too! lol! You're infinitely better about updating than me! Oh, and I absolutely love your new stories! Thanx again!

**dArkliTe-sPirit: **I just love your reviews, they make me laugh! And laughter is seriously lacking in my life right now. Merci beaucoup! **:P**

**Animeang3l7:** You really like that I'm descriptive?(sob) Really?(virtual hug) Thank you soooo much for your reviews!

**Blue Brittney:)** Thanks so much for reading!

**Illegally Blonde: **Omg, I love your name! Thanx!

And thus concludes Chapter 3! Give me criticism, encouraging reviews, or just drop by to say hi! It's all cool...


	4. Women's Intuition and Gaydar

Chapter 4: Woman's Intuition and Gaydar, Part I

_I can't believe I'm doing this..._resounded throughout her mind, as she hesitantly and nervously meandered towards the ethereal divinity before her, shyly dragging her toes through the fine grains of simmering sand as she went. Kimiko observed with idolizing eyes his every movement, no matter how intricate or subtle. She watched carefully as the mysterious young surfer swiftly dragged a bronze hand through his dripping blonde locks, gave a hearty, prolonged sigh, and quickly began heading towards downtown. As their paths crossed, Kimiko was suddenly caught off guard as his alluring hazel eyes peered from underneath golden bangs, and interconnected with the sapphire depths of her own eyes. Although this had been her previous intention, as their eyes intermingled, she suddenly felt thunderstruck, steadfastly rooted to the sand by some invisible force, as if the sand she stood anxiously upon was really quicksand. She silently reassured herself as best as she could, considering the circumstances and broke the awkward, eternal silence, perfecting an authentic Japanese accent as she spoke.

"Euh...Konnichiwa! My name Kimiko...I do not speak no good English. Do you...how you say...know way to the shopping center?" she chirped cutely, smiling innocently with perfect, glittering azure doe-eyes, falsely portraying her version of a Japanese tourist. The young blonde quirked a confused eyebrow curiously, and Kimiko winced with embarrassment internally, thinking anxiously to herself, _I hope I'm not overdoing it..._

"_Sooo..._I'm guessing you're not from around here...your name's Kimiko, right?" he retorted with a sang-froid air of nonchalant self-assurance. "My name's Jaron...Let me show you around." With a confident, suave smile, he abruptly strutted towards the urban downtown, leaving behind a starry-eyed, astonished Kimiko in his wake. She lingered behind, mesmerized and shocked at the same time, until...

"Yo! Kimiko! You comin' or not?" Immediately, her head lurched startledly towards the source of the deep shout, and she jovially skipped towards the welcoming sight of Jaron, his blonde locks flowing poetically in the breeze, hand gesturing for her to follow in his footsteps. As she giddily raced towards him to catch up to his long, lengthened strides, she flashed him a wistful, dazzling smile, and beamed, "Domo Arigato..." Kimiko no longer even faintly cared whether or not Raimundo's eyes lingered with jealousy over her receding form, gradually fading off into the distance...If she had paid closer attention, perhaps she would have seen the astonished, slightly pained, hurt look in a certain pair of emerald eyes...

Moments later, Californian surfer "dude" Jaron was gifting the still bedazzled Kimiko with an intricate tour of downtown L.A., strolling casually, hands thrust cooly into his jean pockets, a pair of gleaming sunglasses adorning his hazel eyes as he nodded nonchalantly at the passing of his various friends. Kimiko gazed dreamily at the blonde boy, released a pent up, wistful sigh, and hesitantly opened her mouth to speak... when all of a sudden...a blaring, twinkling musical tune burst into existence, emitting from the high-tech cell phone casually, yetclassily hitched onto the side of her hip.

Casting a nervous, embarrassed glance at the intrigued surfer, who was peering down at her with eyebrows raised in mild curiosity, she stuttered, "Euh...e-excuse me..." and resumed answering her cell phone. Whoever it was, they would pay dearly for costing her precious time with Jaron...however, she was startled to hear a familiar dragon's voice over her wireless connection.

"Dojo!...How did you get a hold of my other cell phone!...Wait...How did you even know how to _operate_ it?...Yeah, yeah, I know, off topic...What!...You wasted my precious long-distance wireless minutes _just _to tell me that our departure flight is in one week instead of three?...Couldn't you have just flown over here and told me instead?..._In fact,_ the only reason we _have_ to take a plane flight is because a _certain dragon _is too lazy to fly us!...Ok, I'm sorry Dojo...I guess I overreacted a little bit there..._Don't _you even _start _with the sarcasm...Of course I'll tell the guys...See ya soon, Dojo!...We _miss_ you!..." She uttered a tiny, bubbling giggle as she heard the dragon's caustic, sarcastic remark in farewell, and immediately froze as she glimpsed Jaron's speechless, utterly perplexed expression. He had, unfortunately, overheard the conversation in its entirety.

"You...just...spoke fluent English..." he muttered confusedly, blonde eyebrows sternly creased, and arms crossed in suspicion, "_Someone_ has _a lot _of explaining to do..."

"Y-You j-just heard wrong...M-Me don't speak English..." she stuttered uselessly in vain, a desperate attempt to save face. Kimiko chanced a reluctant glance at his countenance, only finding exasperation and, surprisingly, intriguement in the swirling, churning pools of hazel. She hung her head in devastated defeat, twisting her hands in a nervous gesture. "Fine then...I give up..."she raised her sapphire eyes hopefully and continued, "I'm _not _a Japanese tourist. _Yes, _I was born in Japan, and _yes, _I do speak fluent Japanese...and English. I'm currently the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire in training at the Xiaolin Temple in China..."

She winced as if from a searing pain as she bravely met Jaron's infuriated gaze, when suddenly his expression completely transformed...a cocky, suave, and playful smile broke free upon his tanned lips as he congenially patted her on the shoulder, hazel eyes sparkling and twinkling humorously. "Relax, Kimiko...I'm not _that_ pissed off. I'm just _kiddin_ with ya!" Her gaping, overwhelmed expression spoke for itself. "That is, if your real name _really is _Kimiko..." he continued with a cocky, amused wink.

Kimiko soon fully recovered upon this sarcastic, challenging remark, affectionately giving the blonde a playful, yet deliberately firm whack upside his perfect blonde locks. "Baka..." she muttered dryly to herself, or so she thought...

"Baka! What the heck does that mean?" She giggled with mirthful glee as she heard his puzzled, questioning retort.

"Maybe I'll tell you later..._just maybe..._" Kimiko trailed off teasingly, enjoying herself immensely as she sashayed forwards into the distance, strutting off into the blended magenta and golden hues of the beach sunset.

"Now, don't be usin Japanese words against me!" Jaron protested just as teasingly, spurting forwards with lengthened strides to regain his former place at Kimiko's side. "_Sooo..._Kimiko..._exactly why _did you make upsuch a _lame_excuse justto get me to show ya around L.A. all day?"

Her face noticeably blanched as he spoke these simple, dreaded words, the faintest tinge of a rosy blush rising upon her cheeks. Kimiko looked downward at the suddenly interesting pavement passing fleetingly beneath her panicked footsteps, "Well...I...I...just wanted to talk to you...because..."

"_Because _you thought I was a gorgeous, sexy beast?" Jaron supplied earnestly, with a sly, teasing grin.

"WHAT did you say!" She shrieked in reply, in a mixture of embarrassment, mortification, and fury. Jaron merely bestowed upon her a reproachful, slightly serious gaze, absorbing a deep, lamentful breath, "Listen, Kimiko...I don't want to lead you on or anything like that...I'm sorry if I already did...but, listen...I have to tell you something serious first..."

She felt the faintest twinge of heartbreaking pain upon his words, as she gazed into his gorgeous eyes, butrecovered, beaming encouragingly and genuinely, and placing an affectionate palm atop his broad, strong shoulder comfortingly. "It's _OK, _Jaron, I understand...You can _tell _me..." His hazel eyes shifted with obvious reluctance and hesitance, he thrust his fists even deeper into his jean pockets, and finally spoke those fateful words...

"I'm _gay..._"

A/N: Didn't expect _that _ending, did ya? Part II of this chappie is coming up next! See ya then!

**Goldfish demon:** Merci beaucoup! I'm not usually a fan of mass-written couples either...that's why this fic is going to be more Kimiko-centric than anything. Thanx again!

**Veritas.Aequetas.Redemptio.** I really love your reviews, they're so professional and...philosophical..Anyway, domo arigato! I hope this was a good enough addition to the plot, and I hope to see more of you and your writing soon as well!

**Animeang3l7: **soooo sorry this took so long!(sob) Thanks so much for being a faithful reviewer!(huggle!) Sending you a smile back!

**Illegally Blonde: **Lol! Yes, Kimiko's hair will go back to black eventually...it's kinda a symbolic thing...so is the dream...um, never mind...you'll see in the end! Merci beaucoup!

**Blue Brittney: **Don't worry, everything will work out in the end...eventually...Thanx so much for being a faithful reviewer!(huggle!)

**Person: **Bonjour person! How are ya? Lol, couldn't resist...anyway, thanks for liking this fic enough to review! I totally know what you mean about the foreign words, I'm working on that!

**dArkliTe-sPirit: **Lol! Once again, thanx for the review!(huggle!) Sending you a smile!

**Chasforever: **Warai! I'm sooo lazy about updating, sumimasen! _You_ keep up the great work too! Arigato!(huggle!)

Well...I think that's all I have to say, except...Thank you to all the readers and especially the reviewers! The only reason this fic is posted and edited a million times even before posting is because of all of you! Au revoir, et A bientot! -Jewel


	5. continued

Women's Intuition and Gaydar (continued)

Kimiko stood speechlessly as if paralyzed, her disbelieving sapphire eyes widened in utter astonishment. "W-w-what did you say!" she stuttered ineptly, at a complete loss for more articulate wording, considering the awkward circumstances.

"I'm gay," Jaron retorted simply, this time with an increased air of self-confidence and altogether assuredness. Kimiko merely stared blankly with an unchanging countenance of shocked surprise, and interestingly enough, lack of shock. The anxious Jaron sweated slightly, glimpsing her mortified, stunned expression, and cringed, as if expectantly preparing himself for a glancing blow in response, or at least stinging, scathing ridicule along with some caustic criticism. The response he dreaded never came, however...and Kimiko reacted in the most unlikely and unexpected way possible...

Kimiko felt a strange tickling sensation emanating near the back of her throat, and parted her lips momentarily, realizing that it was a bubbling laugh. Infectious giggles soon followed, as if suddenly released from a prison where they were locked securely away. She clutched herself tightly, unable to control the wild, random laughter bursting from her unheedingly, as Jaron swiftly saved her from careening headfirst into the sidewalk pavement out of sheer laughter. He propped her up on her feet, gawking at her quizzically, his perplexed expression apparently mirroring his thoughts, _This girl's gone crazy..._

"S-sorry...(burst of unconstrained laughter)...I-I'm j-just laughing...(blunt chuckle)...because...(bubbling giggles, followed by a sharp gasp for breath) b-because of the _irony_ of it all..." she barely managed to force out in-between short spurts of wild laughter. "You see...Jaron...I was kinda trying to show up my friend Rai...and I..." she trailed off vaguely.

Jaron's expression immediately transformed from one of utter confusion and bewilderment, to an expression of suave understanding, a sly, cocky smile adorning his handsome face. He nonchalantly propped an elbow atop Kimiko's nearby shoulder, resuming his charming, sangfroid exterior front, the epitome of coolness. "_Oh...I see perfectly now..._You were trying to make this Rai guy _jealous. _That's why you came up to me, isn't it? Because of my ultimate _hotness._" He smoothed his hand through his blonde locks conceitedly, and gave Kimiko a playful nudge, eyebrows raised suggestively.

Her face blanched noticeably at his words, deepening in a monochromatic scheme of the color red, whether out of seething fury or embarrassment. She attempted to force out a number of explanations, but in her sheer, fiery rage, all that was comprehensible was raging spluttering. Kimiko finally inhaled a deep, tranquil, relaxing breath, drawing up peaceful serenity learned from her experience of anger management yoga lessons with Master Fung.

Now fully able to speak coherently, she calmly stated with just the slightest trace of remaining anger, "One: I _was not_ trying to make Rai _jealous_. Two: You _are _hot, but not _that _hot. Three: _Maybe_ if you weren't such a _flirt_ I wouldn't even have to answer this question!"

"Pssssh...make all the excuses you want, girl," Jaron retorted cooly with a mere sweeping gesture of his hand.

Her pretty face contorted in blazing anger, sapphire eyes gleaming dangerously as she pointed an accusing finger towards him. "_Don't_ call me _girl_! Raimundo always calls me that!"

"_Ooo, Raimundo!" _Jaron gushed in a high-pitched, girly voice, mocking Kimiko by clasping his hands wistfully above his heart, and batting his eyelashes dreamily, as if lovestruck. Kimiko observed his teasing antics, trying desperately to restrain her wrath, by seemingly ignoring him; then he started making smooching gestures...

"Grrrr...That's it, you baka!" she shrieked while advancing towards him menacingly. He ceased, peering at her questioningly, taken aback by the somewhat evil grin possessing her usually innocent face, and the mischievous gleam in her angelic eyes. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!" she teased, as she suddenly pounced with the agility of a tigress hunting her prey.

Jaron dodged hastily and paused, a sly smirk claiming his lips as he uttered, "HA! You're gonna have to do better than _that_, Kimiko!" He promptly raced off like a spark of lightning, leaving her to follow in his footsteps.

"Bring it on!" she replied confidently with a smirk of her own, and thus, the pursuit began...

Meanwhile...Raimundo was wandering aimlessly across the tranquil beach, tracing his toes perseveringly through the golden sand as he went, and occasionally exhaling a melancholy sigh. The curious sight of Omi burying Clay in the sand, and painstakingly sculpting a mermaid's tail of sand to envelop Clay's legs, piqued his interest. He strode boldly over in their direction, a bemused eyebrow raised as he smirked down at the sand-mermaid-Clay.

"Raimundo!" Omi chirped with enthusiasm, "Would you care to assist me in concealing our friend Clay with sand?"

"Uhhh...no thanks, little dude." Raimundo stuttered, searching for an escape from Omi's exuberant proposal.

"Raimundo pardner! What happened to that there bonny lass ya were moseyin' on up to?" Clay questioned with a smirk from where he lay sprawled underneath a mountain of sand.

Raimundo unleashed a withering look upon Clay, and blinked in exasperated confusion, failing to process Clay's Texan words. "Oi! Where's Kimiko when you need her!" he exclaimed, clutching his forehead in vexation. "Usually she's the translator..."

As if in answer to Raimundo's request, a mere instant later he was privileged with the sight of Kimiko...in wild pursuit of an unknown surfer...an _admittedly handsome, muscular blonde surfer..._Needless to say, Raimundo was in utter shock, not to mention denial. He observed somewhat dispassionately, his emerald eyes wide in traumatized surprise and jaw slackened and agape, as Jaron suddenly grasped her light-heartedly by her slender waist and fiercely hurled her up and over his broad, muscular shoulder. Kimiko released a mirthful, playful shriek, giggling uncontrollably as he whirled around vigorously, with her lying immobile atop his shoulder.

Clay stole a hasty glance at Raimundo's priceless, scandalized countenance, and grinned in mysterious satisfaction, his fingertips absentmindedly tracing the weathered brim of his trademark cowboy hat. With an uncannily sly, all-knowing look towards the Brazilian accompanied by the equally perplexed Omi, he repeated for the second time that day, "Yep, sure looks like the green-eyed monster has reared its ugly head..."

A/N: I finally updated! Desole (sorry) for the long wait, but I've been going through some extremely tough times lately that still pain me to think about...Anyway, I would usually reply to all the fabulous reviewers, but _supposedly_ we aren't allowed to anymore...(sob) Why, why! (huggles reviewers) Merci beaucoup to all the readers and reviewers, you are my inspiration! --Sincerely, Jewel

P.S. The title's meaning will be thoroughly explained in the next chapter...just in case you were wondering about "gaydar"...See ya next update!


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